Disrupters are used by various military, police, and other emergency personnel to destroy or disable various improvised explosive devices or ordnance. A disrupter is typically designed using a barrel similar to a shotgun barrel. A 12 gauge barrel is especially common, although other calibers are used. A disrupter comprises a barrel section having a muzzle end, a bore, and a chamber (breach end).
Disrupters are used to interrupt the firing chain of an improvised explosive device or other ordnance to prevent an explosion from occurring and thereby damaging nearby property. Disrupters can be electric or non-electric. An especially common disrupter is a percussion actuated non-electric disrupter (i.e., a PAN disrupter). Disrupters can be used in conjunction with adjustable stands or as stand-alone instruments (i.e., without a stand).
Disabling an IED presents special challenges to police and military personnel. IEDs are frequently placed in hidden locations. That is, they are hidden within other objects (e.g., luggage) or surreptitiously placed among other objects.
IEDs can also be detonated in a variety of ways. For example, an IED can be detonated using a fuse, a timer, or by radio-control. As a result, disabling these devices quickly and efficiently is of particular importance.
Although robots are sometimes used to position disrupters adjacent to an IED, the use of robots suffers from various drawbacks. For example, a robot may not be able to reach an area where an IED has been placed. As a result, it is frequently necessary for the disrupter to be placed against an IED by a human operator.
When a human operator positions a disrupter near an IED, a critical consideration that must be addressed is the “time on target”. The time on target is the amount of time the operator must spend in proximity to the device to position the disrupter so that the IED may be disabled. It is highly desirable for the time on target to be as short as possible to minimize risk to the human operator.
When a human operator positions a disrupter against an IED, multiple considerations must be addressed. Two especially important considerations are the stand-off for the disrupter and the angle of impact of the disrupter charge against the target. Stand-off refers to the distance from the end of the disrupter barrel to the point of impact on the IED. The angle of impact refers to the angle at which the disrupter charge will impact the IED.
IEDs can take a variety of forms. One of the most common forms is the pipe bomb. A pipe bomb is essentially an explosive device made of a piece of standard piping with a cap at each end. The bomb can be detonated by various means known in the art including fuse, timer, or radio control.
The embodiments described herein are capable of disabling a wide variety of explosive ordnance and IEDs. They are especially useful in disabling pipe bombs.